Baghdad - Baghdad is not seeking to buy advanced Russian weapons systems, an Iraqi government spokesman said Monday, denying earlier reports. "Iraq does not want to buy heavy, advanced weapons from Russia," spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Baghdad's al-Iraqia television Monday.
Any reports to the contrary were "absolutely untrue," al-Dabbagh said, adding that budget cuts and Iraq's current security requirements precluded the purchase of advanced fighter jets or air defence systems.
Dhaka - Bangladeshi authorities on Monday deployed over 10,000 lawmen to ensure security for the celebration of the 1416 Bengali New Year Tuesday in the capital Dhaka, officials said. "We will ensure the highest security so that the people can celebrate the day with more enthusiasm," Home Minister Sahara Khatun told reporters visiting the prime celebration venue at the Raman Green, where traditionally tens of thousands of people from all walks of life gather to celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangladeshi calendar.
Baghdad - In a surprise visit, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday arrived in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish Autonomous Region in northern Iraq, Iraqi national television reported. Abbas arrived from Saudi Arabia, but had been in Baghdad last week. His visit to Baghdad was the first by a Palestinian president since the US-led invasion in 2003.
Ankara - The separatist Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) on Monday announced a unilateral ceasefire to last until June 1, the PKK-linked Firat news agency reported. A statement released by PKK political commanders in Iraq, said that the time was ripe for a political solution to the Kurdish problem in Turkey, noting that the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) had done extremely well in local elections on March 29. 
